NOW AVAILABLE: And now for something completely different

Ed's Note

It always happens like this, doesn’t it? The year flies by in a nanosecond yet we sit bewildered, amazed by how long, intense, and utterly depleting it was. I could get into it, or you could just read last month’s letter. This month is all about the good stuff, the tangible and somewhat meta stuff we’d like to get our hands on as we shift into gift season — and the book is crammed with them.

Our annual Gifting spread will jog your shopping instincts with glittering accessories, a dreamy fragrance, and an elusive tipple. In the face of infinite options, Dr Wamuwi Mbao suggests we opt for the gifts of thoughtfulness and the unexpected choice.

There are a few unexpected choices in our Wanted team gift selection and Michele Magwood picks the season’s most sizzling biographies to devour next to the pool. Yes, Jada is entangled in that mix. Sarah Buitendach recalls a brawl over butter lettuce at a Knysna Woolies as she makes the case for thinking about Boney M. in a non-pejorative manner.

Finally, on our travels, we eat at London’s now decade-old The Clove Club — think grilled squid with hot pepper and raw Orkney scallop — and visit a luxury Mauritian phoenix rising out of the ashes of a fiery setback.

My last-born is the only person in my family still holding on to the myth of Father Christmas. You will know from her previous appearance on this page that she is quite the letter writer, and we expect she will soon put pen to paper, outlining her stocking’s desired contents.

If I were to suspend reality, my own wishes would revolve around a slow walk/run in Kyoto’s tranquil Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, wearing Miler Running gear, whose monochrome tones align with my daily uniform. The pictures would be snapped and uploaded on the versatile Samsung Z Galaxy Fold5, the wrist would sport the IWC Portofino Automatic, and the after-dinner drink would be the Louis XIII Rare Cask.

Cheers.

NOW AVAILABLE | Page through the December 2023 issue of Wanted and enlarge for easy viewing: 

• Remember, you can subscribe to the Business Day newspaper to receive your gorgeous, glossy physical copy of Wanted in the mail.